Passport Services in Philadelphia

The passport services in Philadelphia provide United States citizens
with a few different options for getting a valid U.S. passport. The
location and means you use to apply will affect the time it takes to
get your travel document. Read the descriptions of the services below
and choose the one that best meets your need.

Philadelphia Passport Offices

There are 10 Philadelphia passport offices
located in post offices, clerks of court, public libraries and other
state, county, township, and municipal government offices throughout
the city.

Acceptance agents work at US passport offices. They are authorized by the government to witness the signing of your DS-11 application
for a new passport. They also send in your application to the
appropriate regional agency for processing if you choose to do so
directly through the US Passport Agency.

You only apply at a passport office if you need a new passport.
For other services, you can apply by mail. You should also only use a
passport office if you are not in a hurry. Otherwise skip to the next
section.

Philadelphia Passport Agency

The Philadelphia Passport Agency
only serves customers who are traveling or submitting their passports
for foreign visas within 14 days or 28 days, respectively. To apply at
the Agency, you must schedule an appointment.

Recently, the New York Times published an articles about passport
processing. Charles Milton's well-planned vacation to England almost
didn't happen because he only discovered his passport was missing 3
days before his departure date.

The article stated, "The next morning, three days before the
trip, he called the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs,
which issues passports. Mr. Milton soon found himself in a two-hour
phone marathon, shuttled to six or seven extensions and, finally, being
told that the soonest he could get a passport was 10 business days."

When Mr. Milton told the agent that he didn't have 10 business
days to wait, he was informed of an alternative solution: a private
passport expediter. If you are in an emergency situation, read on.

Philadelphia Passport Expediting Services

The expedited passport services in Philadelphia
are registered with the State Department and can obtain passports as
quickly as the same day. Expediters deliver and pick up the
applications for their clients. Since they visit the agency daily, they
can often get an application submitted faster than if you tried to
do it yourself. Expediting services are advantageous when you urgently
need your passport but are unable to visit the agency yourself.